Welcome

It is with great joy that we welcome American composer and conductor Eric Whitacre back to Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. We have such fond memories of his previous appearance here in the Sydney Opera House in 2013. Now, with a newly minted and much-improved acoustic, the Concert Hall is witness to the Sydney premiere of one of his most important works to date, The Sacred Veil.

I first caught wind of the fact that Eric was planning a major work with his friend Charles Anthony Silvestri around the end of 2018, and I was so intrigued and interested in presenting it in Sydney that I flew to Los Angeles to hear the premiere in the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was an incredible performance and I knew it was the right work to ask Eric to come back and conduct in our 2022 season. It charts a story of friendship, love, loss, resilience, meaning and despair in a way that only choral music can, with its wonderful synthesis of words, melody and, above all, harmony.

Tonight’s performance puts the choir front and centre. Accompanied by just piano and solo cello, VOX will lead us through a cathartic journey – at times confronting but ultimately consoling. Part of the significance and appeal of this work is that, while many of us have had the experience of watching someone we love deal with the awful reality of cancer, classical music as a genre has rarely taken on the subject. It is through collective artistic experiences such as this concert that I feel we can begin to heal some of the wounds of that experience – not only by confronting them but by reflecting on their meaning.

I believe this work will be one that resonates with all of us for a long time to come and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is proud to present this work to you.

Brett Weymark OAM

Artistic and Music Director

INTERIOR OF SAINTE-CHAPELLE (PHOTO: MELVIL) SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS · 2022 SEASON · 6